Black widow spider found on Christmas tree at grocery store

A black widow spider was discovered on a Christmas tree at a San Antonio, Texas, grocery store Tuesday. (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

A venomous spider was found hiding among a Christmas tree's branches at a San Antonio, Texas, supermarket Tuesday.

The unwanted tagalong apparently hitchhiked from the farm to the store where it remained, unbeknownst to grocery store employees, mySanAntonio.com reported.

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Paul Stephen, a reporter for San Antonio Express-News, said he noticed the black widow spider while perusing trees at the H-E-B grocery store on W. Olmos Drive, Tuesday.

"I saw the spider, snapped the requisite Instagram pic, put it down and moved on to the next tree," he told mySA.com. "Black widows aren't that uncommon, so it didn't occur to me to freak out," he said.

He explained to mySA.com that "these spiders can be found in a wide variety of locations, including trees and shrubbery."

H-E-B spokesperson Dya Campos said it's not unusual for trees to be delivered to stores with along with other "elements of nature."

Experts say it's not uncommon for insects to cling to trees branches, occasionally making their way into stores and homes. (G.K. & Vikki Hart/Getty Images)

"It's wise to shake out insects while shaking out the needles before putting a tree in a house," she said. She compared it to shaking out one's boots before putting them on, mySA.com reported.

David Ragsdale, head of the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University said the spider did not likely pose a real threat to shoppers.

"Although the venom in a black widow is fairly toxic, the spider has a difficult time piercing human skin and most people are large enough that the venom is not lethal," he said.

Black widows are common in Texas and are known to cling to trees — but don't usually survive the ride all the way to a store or home, Texas A&M entomology professor Robert Puckett told mySA.com.

"We do know quite commonly, people bring Christmas trees and other potted plants that have sort of unwanted hitchhikers," he said. "The key is just to inspect the tree before you bring it into your house."